2007 U.S. Nationals

Senior Dance

Text and photos copyright 2007 by George S. Rossano

Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto skated and controlled and fluid Golden Waltz in winning the Compulsory dance.  All but three of their GoEs were 1s and 2s, a testament to their technical skill in performing this dance.  There Program Component marks were in the high 7s, with some judges going to 8.25.  They clearly surpassed their competition in both elements and components.  This despite having limited competition activity this season.

Commenting on this, Belbin said, "Unfortunately this pattern is a little too familiar.  We missed the Grand Prix Final last year too.  We just did this, it feels like.  Hopefully next year we'll get through a whole season without missing anything.  Actually, when we registered, it felt like we were just here.  I don't think we've missed a beat. It feels nice to be back on the ice in a comfortable setting in our first competition since the injury."

The skaters were warmly received by the audience and this did not go unnoticed by the couple.  Said Agosto, "It's great to see so many people coming out to see ice dancing.  The crowd here in Spokane is so warm.  It's a very nice atmosphere for us to come and compete in.  You feel at home here."  And form Belbin, "It feels like a little Olympic village, because the whole city is so involved.  I got that  impression right away.  Even the bars have figure skating on their marquee.  It's so cool to be in a town like this where everyone is so involved and knows what is going on.  It's everywhere; it's all around you.  It really makes you feel like you're part of something really special.  It's great for all of us.  We work so hard and this is such a big deal to us.  It means a lot to see it's a big deal to other people, too." (Which leads one wonders how many bars Belbin surveyed to come to her observations.)

In describing their view of ice dancing and their approach to performing Belbin remarked, "It has so much to offer in the way of entertainment.  I don't want the audience to be looking at what levels things are.  I don't want them to be thinking about that.  That's not what we think about when we're performing, either.  Let the judges look at what they want and have the audience give us feedback about the music.  Whether or not they get into the music.  Whether or not they are awed by the movements if they are a level 1 or a level 4.  Just enjoy the entertainment.  That's what our job is, to make it technically difficult and entertaining.  If they can get into it then we know we're doing our job."

In a surprise second place finish, Meryl Davis & Charlie White displaced long time Senior competitors Melissa Gregory & Denis Petuhkov.  Gregory & Petuhkov edged out Davis & White in the Program components, but Davis & Whites much stronger skating of the steps carried the day for them.  While Davis & White received only one negative GoEs, and a respectable number of 1s and 2s, Gregory & Petuhkov received several -1s and only one +2 for GoEs.

Davis & White received no deduction on this dance, but in the past have sometimes struggled with it.  On their improvement, White said, "We worked very hard in practice." "On consistency and control," chimed in Davis.  Added White, "We had to get past it.  Coming into this competition, we couldn't worry about what had happened in the past. ... It's been a tumultuous compulsory for us, so it's god to get over the bump."  "That's what we've been trying to do the last couple of months," said Davis.  And again from White, "You don't want to worry about it when you go out there to impress the judges.  You think about how much you want to skate well, the expression -- NOT don't fall on your face."

In describing the move to seniors, Davis remarked, "It's been very difficult for us from previous years.  We've sad before we're used to climbing the ranks each level we move up.  We're used to starting at the bottom and slowly working our way up from year to year.  This year's been all new to us."  "Stepping in and getting the success we've had is very nice," concluded White.

Although they finished third in this dance, Gregory & Petuhkov seemed satisifed with their performance.  "We've only competed this dance one time before," said Gregory.  "We're happy with the way we skated. ... It's not one of our favorites.  It's a beautiful dance, we'd have to say.  A challenging dance.  When it's done rigt it's exquisite.  It is definitely challenging.  It's done like a free dance."

In addition to chasing Belbin & Agosto, Gregory & Petuhkov find themselves now fighting off challangers moving up form below.  Said Gregory, "Well obviously we haven't [beaten them (Belbin & Agosto)] yet, so it's quite difficult.  If it was easy we would have done it, rigt?  We're both in a race.  They're obviously racing other people as well and they're not our only rivals or competitors.  We have other people we can think about.  But it is nice to have somebody in the U.S. that you are in pretty close competition with.  That's good.  It always keeps us on our toes."  He added, "We were happy in the way we skated.  We skated clean. We skated with a lot of expression and the audience seemed to like it."

Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto gave a solid performance of the Golden Waltz.  Their GoEs, were respectable, though not as high as in the Compulsory Dance, but their Program Components were significantly better, with marks in the 8s, and one judge going as high as 8.75.  Belbin assessed thier performance saying, "I think it was a relatively solid performance; it wasn't our best.  But it's been a long day, and I think we did a good job and now we are excited to debut our new free dance."

Holding the Original Dance the same day as the Compulsory Dance is not typical, but also not unheard of in skating competition.  Said Belbin, "I,ve done back to back performaces before, but it was just that tonight was really crunched.  But there are no excuses, it is the perfect test because you never know how you're going to feel coming off of a plane in a foreign country."  And in preparing for competition under these circumstances, Agosto said, "Preparation is the same.  It is more of a mental challenge, just to keep our focus up and not get distracted just because we're having a long day."

In picking their music, "", Belbin said "I do think it is important to find a piece that sounds different than the other performers because we're all doing tango, and you're just trying to create your own story."

The couple is returning to competition here after missing the Grand Prix Final due to Agosto having a back injury.  Since thier Grand Prix performances, the couple has also changed their Free Dance, which was not well received. In looking to the future Agosto said, "We feel very confident.  It [the new Free Dance] is much more artistic than our old performance."  He added, "I'm feeling 100%.  It was very easy for me to just let it rest and heal and that was all it took.  I'm very lucky that that is all it took."

Melissa Gregory & Denis Petuhkov took second place, on the strength on the Program Components.  There element score was just 2.28 points above base value.  In elements, they were barely the third best team.  But strong Program Components, in the mid 7s, gave them a solid second place result.  Said Gregory of their performance, "I think it takes a lot of character and a lot of guts to go out there and to fight and to skate great, and we did, and we have to be proud of ourselves."  She added later, "We skated clean.  It was nothing spectacular, but it was normal."  "We didn't make any mistakes so we were pleased today, the rest is not up to us," said Petuhkov.

The couple also were not taken aback by the schedule.  "It was really not much, said Gregory.  "When we train every day, we really do a lot more than this, so it was fine."

Meryl Davis & Charlie White slipped back into third place, after finishing second in the Compulsory Dance.  White fell in synchronized twizzles during the not touching midline step sequence.  The one point deduction was enough to drop them the one place.  On falling, White said, "No, unfortunately it wasn't something I was thinking about too much which may be part of the downfall.  It's just one of those little things that just gets away from you."  And in describing there preparations he said, "Lots of run-throughs, lots of training.  Nothing in particular, nothing out of the ordinary.  Just lots and lots of training."

Kimberly Navarro & Brent Bommentre had a fine skate in the Original Dance and placed third in the dance, but still lie in fourth place overall.  At this point their medal chances are slim, but at 3.42 points out of third place, they remain mathematically in contention for perhaps the bronze, and with a more than seven point lead over fifth place, fairly secure for the pewter.

Debuting a new routine, Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto, won the Free Dance and their fourth National Title.

Hopefully, this is still a work in progress, and will be taken up a notch in the next two months.  It is certainly an improvement over the routine it replaces, but I found it a little too subdued, and only moderately interesting at best for the first half.  Their circular step sequence was called level 3, and the later diagonal step sequence was called level 2.  Their lifts and spin were all called level 4.  Since the top teams in World competition invariably have all level 4 elements, the step sequences will need particular attention before Worlds.  The quality of their elements was well above average, with all but one of their GoEs +1 or +2.  Their Program Components were in the mid to high 8s.  Our goal tonight was to really show the program," said Agosto.  "Not to worry ourselves too much with the elements, but to show the potential the program has, to get into character and do a good job of getting into the emotion and try not to hold back but to let go and perform."

Melissa Gregory & Denis Petuhkov fended off a challenge from Meryl Davis & Charlie White, to place second in the Free Dance, and second overall.  Their performance was filled with passion and energy.  They skated strongly to their dramatic choreography.  Their Program Components were in the mid to high 7s.  Said Gregory, "We just love this program.  We love the music, the choreography, everything about it.  Added Petuhkov, "This is Olympic year material.  We wish that this was last year's program.

After a second place finish in the Compulsory dance, and a fourth place finish in the Original Dance, Davis & White placed third in the Free Dance to place third overall.  They did not receive a single negative GoE, and were scored third in both elements and Program Components.  Like Belbin & Agosto their step sequences were called only levels 2 and 3.

Their routine, skated to "Kismet" was performed with speed and energy throughout.  It is, however, not quite as sophisticated or passionate as it neds to be.  Said Davis, Character and expression and really getting into the dances have been one of our main things this year because it's something that we struggle with.  So I think that this competition was a step up for us -- a good place to do it, as our first senior national event.  So we're pretty proud of ourselves right now."

Kimberly Navarro & Brent Bommentre placed fourth in the Free Dance to place fourth overall.  Skating to a medley of Beatles songs, it was a very upbeat and fun performance.  They too received level 4s for lifts and spins, but level 3s for step sequences.  They received a handful of -1 GoEs, with their spin, scored as the worst of the elements.  There Program Components were in the mid to high 6s.

"It was awesome," said Bommentre.  "We left everything out there on the ice.  We feel like we were in our best shape walking into this event, and we're really happy with the outcome of it."  In coming up with this routine, Navarro said, "we was a pretty famous juggler who juggled to these three songs, and there's a clip going around on the internet of it.  The way he juggled really brought out the music.  We hoped to do the same thing with our skating."

2007 Senior Dance Medalists